The Liberian Senate has voted to maintain the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) and the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP) as tenure institutions.
The decision by Senate’s plenary was triggered by a report submitted to the body on Tuesday July 5, 2022 by an Ad-hoc Committee led by River Gee County Senator Conmany B. Wesseh.
The Ad-hoc Committee in its report indicated that during its deliberations, it observed that the creation of security of tenure for officials of integrity related institutions is a key governance tools used by governments the world over to put safeguards on the efficient utilization of public resources by given autonomy and semi-autonomous status through legislations to official who presides over important revenue generating entities and institutions created to guide against graft and abuse of public resources.
Additionally, the Ad-hoc Committee noted that the decision of the Liberian Senate to maintain tenure separately for officials of integrity-related institutions is in line with best international practice and shows the government’s desire to promote accountability, ensure transparency in fiscal and financial management and guarantee autonomy in the collection and efficient management of revenues in line with the public financial Management law of Liberia.
The institutions in this category are: General Auditing Commission (GAC), Civil Service Commission (CSA), and National Elections Commission (NEC), Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC), Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR), Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), Internal Audit Agency (IAA), Liberia Extractive Industry and Transparency Initiative (LEITT), Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) and the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP).
However, plenary resolved that only LRA and NASSCORP should maintain their respective tenure status because of the two institutions’ roles with regards to revenue collection and the management of social security pension funds.
Meanwhile, the Liberian Senate has also amended the Judiciary Law of the Liberian Code of Laws Revised to change the Terms of the Circuit Courts from Quarterly Sessions to Bi-Annual Sessions.
The decision by the Senate was necessitated by a report from the Senate Statutory Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Claims and Petitions, recommending to plenary to enact into law the revised proposed act, with the assurances that this revised Proposed Act, when enacted, will expedite the disposition of cases at Circuit Courts and thereby reducing the congestion of the trial dockets at the Circuit Courts.
Accordingly, the Committee pointed out that the Circuit Courts will have a longer continuous period of actual work than the quarterly session now provided by law.
The Committee chaired by Grand Cape Mount County, Senator Cllr. H. Varney Sherman said the longer continuous period of actual work will facilitate the disposition of more cases and thereby expediting speedy trial of cases and decongestion of the trial dockets.
However, the Judiciary Committee observed that the period of duration is six months for each of the Bi-annual Session (Term); which gives no time of resting period for the Circuit Judges within a period of twelve months. The time period is reduced in the revised version to five months; which leaves at least one month within every twelve month period of rest for the Circuit Judges.
